Decorative piping strips



Mairch 29, 1955 BQECKER 2,705,210

DECORATIVE PIPING STRIPS Filed Sept. 5, 1952 United States PatentDECORATIVE PIPING STRIPS Theodore J. Boecker, Winchester, Mass.,assignor to Boecker-Stuart, Inc., Cambridge, Mass., a corporation ofMassachusetts Application September 5, 1952, Serial No. 308,116

Claims. (Cl. 154-536) This invention relates to improvements indecorative piping strips which are suitable for ornamentlng or finishingupholstery and leather and imitation leather products but which haveespecial utility as decorative piping for moccasin type shoes andslippers. More particularly, the invention provides such piping stripsWhlCh may be manufactured with a substantial saving of material ascompared with the comparable piping strips produced according to priorprocedures.

Decorative piping strips of the variety to WhlCh the mvention relateshave a bead strip of leather, woven cord, or other suitable material,exposed at intervals along that edge of the piping strip which isvisible in a shoe or other article. The piping strip is wrapped aroundthe bead strip but has spaced openings through WhlCh the bead strip isexposed.

Heretofore, the initial strip of material of which the piping strip isformed has been uniformly perforated with relatively large holes orcut-outs distributed unrformly throughout the length of the strip, andwhen this perforated strip is wrapped around a bead strip, portions ofthe latter are exposed where they cross the perforations, to provide abeaded edge having decorative character. However, the stock out out toprovide the substantial perforations is entirely wasted.

It is among the objects of the invention to provide decorative pipingstrips having all of the decorative attributes of the prior comparablestrips, but which may be produced more economically without any wastageof material. According to the invention, two similar ramose stripssimultaneously are cut or dinked in a manner to utilize all of thematerial of the initial strip, each ramose strip having uniformly spacedtongues adapted to be wrapped around a bead strip to produce the samedecorative eflect attained with the prior perforated strips.

Another object of the invention is to provide an intermediate product inthe production of decorative piping strips comprising a ramose strip offlexible sheet material having relatively long uniformly. spaced tongueswhose end portions are connected together by a relatively narrow stripof flexible material adhered to one side of the end portions of all ofthe tongues, whereby the uniform spacing of the tongues is maintained asthey are successively wrapped around a bead strip.

further object of the invention is to provide a ramose strip of flexiblesheet material having relatively long uniformly spaced tonguesprojecting from an intact marginal portion of the strip, the tonguesbeing adapted to be wrapped around a bead strip in the manufacture ofdecorative piping strips, and the ends of all of the tongues beingconnected by a relatively strong strip adhered to the end portions ofall of the tongues and adapted to be adhered to said intact marginalportion of the first mentioned strip when said tongues are wrappedaround the bead strip, thereby to constitute a reinforcement throughwhich stitches may pass when the decofative piping strip is beingsecured in a shoe or other arm e.

It is, moreover, my purpose and object generally to improve decorativepiping strips, and the procedures of manufacturing such strips.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a strip of flexible sheet material showing howtwo of my ramose strips may be cut or dinked therefrom without wastageof any material;

Fig. 2 is a perspective of one of my ramose strips having adhesivematerial coating the upper surface thereof and having a relativelynarrow strip of material adhered to the end portions of all of thetongues of the ramose strip;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing the tongues of the ramosestrip, with the narrow strip thereon, turned inward and adhered to theintact marginal portion of the ramose strip, the tongues being wrappedaround a bead strip which is omitted excepting at the left hand portionof Fig. 3;

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view on line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but showing the narrow strip adheredto the end portions of the tongues at their under sides, whereby thisnarrow strip may be stripped off after the tongues have been turned overa bead strip and adhered to the intact marginal portion of the ramosestrip;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 but showing the majority of thetongues after being turned inward and adhered, and showing the left handend portion of the narrow strip in the process of being stripped fromthe tongues;

Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view on line 7-7 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is plan view of a fragment of a completed decorative piping stripembodying a cross-sectionally round bead strip;

Fig. 9 is a perspective of a portion of the forepart of a moccasin typeshoe having my improved piping strip embodied therein; and

Fig. 10 is a plan view of parable piping strip with its 1y wrappedcondition.

Referring to the drawing, the decorative piping strips of the inventionare ramose strips 10, of leather or other suitably flexible material,having the relatively long tongues 10 extending in uniformly spacedparallelism, with each space 10 between adjacent tongues complementaryto a tongue 10 whereby two of the ramose strips 10 may be cut, as by adinking die, from a single wider strip 12 (Fig. 1), without any of thematerial of strip 12 being wasted.

Heretofore, such decorative piping strips have been made, as illustratedin Fig. 10, by cutting or dinking spaced holes 14 in a strip 12*- whichusually is 1% or 1%," wide. The stock cut out to form the holes 14 iswasted.

According to the invention, two of 10 are cut or dinked from a strip 12which may have width as little, or less than 1 /2", and the entire strip12 is utilized, with substantial saving in material as compared with the'prior procedures.

The flesh side of each ramose strip 10, assuming the strips to be ofleather, is coated with a suitable adhesive which is indicated by thestippling at 16 in Figs. 2-6, adhesive on the prior strip of Fig. 10also being indicated by stippling at 16*. The adhesive 16 may be rubbercement, or latex or any other suitable adhesive, and it may be coatedall over the flesh side of the ramose strips 10, or may be coated onlyalong the edge portion at the base of the tongues 10 and at the tipportions of the tongues, as shown in Fig. 5. In either case, the tongues10 may be folded inward over a bead element 18 (Figs. 3, 6, 8 and 9)with the in-turned end of each tongue becoming adhered in its in-turnedcondition, and with the bead element 18 exposed at the regions where itcrosses the spaces between tongues 10 Referring more particularly toFigs. 5 and 6, an adhesive strip 20 is shown adhered to the grain orfinished side of a ramose strip 10, joining together the end portions ofall of the tongues 10 of the strip. The strip 20 may, for example, be astrip of scotch tape, or the like, which readily may be adhered to thetongues as in Fig. 5, thereby to aid in maintaining the spaced relationof the tongues and to facilitate inturning of the tongues to theirsecured positions of Fig. 6, after which the adhesive strip 20 may bestripped oif. The head element 18, over which the tongues engage inspaced relation may be a strip of leather, as in Figs. 3 and 6, or maybe a woven cord, or the like, as shown in Fig. 8. It should beunderstood that the adhesive strip ,20 of Figs. 5 and 6 may be omitted,if desired, but its presence a fragment of a prior combead strip shownin partialthe ramose strips Patented Mar. 29, 1955 facilitatesin-turning of the spaced tongues by conventional or other iii-foldingmachinery, or by hand.

Figs. 2 and 3 illustrate an adhesive strip 22 adhered across the endportions of the tongues 10 at the flesh side or coated side of the stripand tongues, and this 'strip 22 becomes a permanent part of theornamental piping strip inasmuch as it becomes engaged between theun-cut edge portion of the strip and the in-turned end portions of thetongues 10*. Here again, the strip 22 serves primarily to facilitatein-turning of the tongues, especially when the in-turning isaccomplished by machine. However, the adhesive strip 22 may be a fabricstrip of a nature to reinforce and strengthen the securement of thepiping strip in a shoe, in that the stitches 'at 24 (Fig. 9) may passthrough this reinforcing strip 22. It will be apparent from theforegoing description, in connection with the drawing, that my improveddecorative piping strips may be produced with substantial savings ascompared with the prior comparable piping strips, and may beincorporated in shoes, and other articles, to serve in the same mannerand with the same decorative effects as the prior more expensive pipingstrips. Also, when a reinforcing fabric strip 22 is employed, as in theFigs. 2 and 3 embodiment, the fabric strip 22 substantially strengthensthe stitched secure-' ment of the'piplng strip in a shoe, or otherarticle.

It is intended that the patent shall cover by suitable expression in theappended claims whatever features of patentable novelty exist in theinvention disclosed.

I claim as my invention: l. A decorative piping strlp comprising aramose strip of flexible sheet material having relatively long tonguesof the flexible material extending in spaced relation from an integralsubstantially intact marginal portion of the ramose strip, a beadelement disposed along the ramose strip and crossing the spaces betweensaid tongues in substantially spaced relation to said marginal portionof the ramose strip, all of said tongues being turned inward over saidbead element, and means securing the in-turned v end portion of eachtongue to said substantially intact marginalportion of the ramose strip,whereby said bead element is secured to the ramose strip and has exposedextent between adjacent in-turned tongues in the said substantiallyspaced relation to said marginal portion of the ramose strip.

2. A decorative piping strip comprising a ramose strip of flexible sheetmaterial having relatively long tongues of flexible material extendingin spaced relation from "an integral substantially intact marginalportion of the ramose strip, each space between adjacent tongues beingcomplementary to a said tongue whereby each said space may be formedby'removal therefrom of a tongue of a second ramose strip, a beadelement disposed along the ramose strip and extending across all of thetongues thereof and across all of the spaces between the tongues insubstantially spaced relation to said marginal portion of the ramosestrip, a relatively narrow strip of flexible material adhered to endportions of all of said tongues, said end portions of all of thetongues, with said narrow strip thereon, being turned inward over saidbead element and secured to said substantially intact marginalportion ofthe ramose strip with said bead element exposed between said tongues inits said substantially spaced relation to said marginal portions of theramose trip.

3. A decorative piping strip comprising a ramose strip of flexible sheetmaterial having relatively long tongues of the flexible materialextending in spaced re- 'lation from an integral substantially intactmarginal spaced portion of the ramose strip, an adhesive substance onone side of said ramose strip, a relatively narrow strip of flexiblematerial adhered to end portions of all of said tongues at that sidethereof which has the said adhesive substance thereon, a bead elementdisposed along the ramose strip and extending across all of said tonguesand across all of the spaces between tongues at that side of the ramosestrip which has said adhesive substance thereon, the said bead elementbeing in substantially spaced relation to said marginal portion of theramose strip, said relatively narrow strip, which has the end portionsof all said tongues adhered thereto, being turned over upon theadhesive-coated substantially intact marginal portion of the ramosestrip thereby to wrap said-tongues in spaced relation around said beadstrip, with portions of the bead strip exposed in the spaces betweenadjacent'tongues and in the said substantially spaced relation to saidmarginal portion of the ramose strip.

4. A decorative piping strip comprising a ramose strip of flexible sheetmaterial having relatively long tongues of the flexible materialextending in spaced relation from an integral substantially intactmarginal portion of 'the ramose strip, an adhesive substance on one sideof tion of the ramose'strip, a relatively narrow strip of flexiblematerial adhered to the end portions of all of said tongues at that sidethereof opposite the side having said adhesive substance thereon, a beadelement disposed along the ramose strip and crossing all' 'of the spacesbetween said tongues at thatside of the tongues which has said adhesivesubstance thereon, the said bead element being in substantially spacedrelation to said marginal portion of the ramose strip, all of saidtongues, with said narrow strip secured thereon, being turned inwardover said bead element and adhered to said substantially intact marginalportion of the ramose strip with said narrow strip exposed at outersurfaces of the in-turned tongues in position to be stripped from thesecured tongues, and With said crossing portions of said bead elementexposed between the tongues in said substantially spaced relation to themarginal portion of the ramose strip.

5. In a decorative piping strip, a ramose strip having tonguesprojecting froman intact marginal portion of the ramose strip and havingeach space between adjacent tongues complementary to a said tonguewhereby two similar ramose strips mav he died simultaneously from awider strip with utilization of all of the material of said wider strip,said tongues of the ramose strip being turned inward and having theirend portions secured to said intact marginal portion of the ramosestrip, thereby to provide spaced loops of the strip stock outward ofsaid intact marginal portion through which loops a linear element may bepassed with portions thereof exposed between the said loops in spacedrelation to said intact marginal portion of the ramose strip.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

1. A DECORATIVE PIPING STRIP COMPRISING A RAMOSE STRIP OF FLEXIBLE SHEETMATERIAL HAVING RELATIVELY LONG TONGUES OF THE FLEXIBLE MATERIALEXTENDING IN SPACED RELATION FROM AN INTEGRAL SUBSTANTIALLY INTACTMARGINAL PORTION OF THE RAMOSE STRIP, A BEAD ELEMENT DISPOSED ALONG THERAMOSE STRIP AND CROSSING THE SPACES BETWEEN SAID TONGUES INSUBSTANTIALLY SPACED RELATION TO SAID MARGINAL PORTION OF THE RAMOSESTRIP, ALL OF SAID TONGUES BEING TURNED INWARD OVER SAID BEAD ELEMENT,AND MEANS SECURING THE IN-TURNED END PORTION OF EACH TONGUE TO SAIDSUBSTANTIALLY INTACT MARGINAL PORTION OF THE RAMOSE STRIP, WHEREBY SAIDBEAD ELEMENT IS SECURED TO THE RAMOSE STRIP AND HAS EXPOSED EXTENTBETWEEN ADJACENT IN-TURNED TONGUES IN THE SAID SUBSTANTIALLY SPACEDRELATION TO SAID MARGINAL PORTION OF THE RAMOSE STRIP.